Daily carnage thread

mike_belben · February 14, 2019, 02:50:31 PM

Well, nearly 30yrs of welding hasnt done my eyesight any favors, so i do swerve around like a drunk when i lose track of my lane, which is often on flat plane work.

The spindle threads wiped out. I got another from the junkyard off a 2001 model 4700 with the double lock pins. I mushroomed a few punches before drilling the staked flush head pin. then messed up a ball peen hammer beating on the kingpin. Finally had to throw in the towel and pay the $200 [vs $100] to have them torch the beam off. I wasted like 4 trips over a week on that. Then my buddies 30T press wouldnt budge the pin so i just cooked the whole pile into slag with oxy propane to get the knuckle cleaned off.

Need money to come in before i can order a kingpin kit. Then more money for caliper and brake hose. Then more for a tire. Such is life.

If youre gonna lose a wheel bearing, PARK AND HAVE IT TOWED BEFORE THE HUB FLIES OFF! Youll save a fortune.

Don P · February 14, 2019, 06:31:01 PM

Well, the Ranger is getting a new long block. The oil pan was full of metal shavings and the top end was knocking. Got the shavings cleaned out but knew it was a matter of a mile or two. This time there was a cam bearing in the pan, 3 collapsed lifters, a shattered lifter keeper and another cam bearing squirting out of its journal, cam sensor gear worn razor sharp, the cam looks, umm, interesting. Somehow I suspect they aren't going to core this one. Nothing flew outta the block but it's kind of impressive inside. If I'm lucky I'll dig outta this hole about June :D

luvmexfood · February 15, 2019, 01:54:42 AM

Quote from: Don P on February 14, 2019, 06:31:01 PM
Well, the Ranger is getting a new long block. The oil pan was full of metal shavings and the top end was knocking. Got the shavings cleaned out but knew it was a matter of a mile or two. This time there was a cam bearing in the pan, 3 collapsed lifters, a shattered lifter keeper and another cam bearing squirting out of its journal, cam sensor gear worn razor sharp, the cam looks, umm, interesting. Somehow I suspect they aren't going to core this one. Nothing flew outta the block but it's kind of impressive inside. If I'm lucky I'll dig outta this hole about June :D

Don. The way it's going our way I don't know if the mud will be out of the hole by then. According to the channel 5 weather your getting it as bad as we are. Maybe worse. Wasn't going to go back out on the road doing any work for the company I do some work for. Stay here and log some. Mud and bank account tells me I will be in Pittsburgh for next two weeks.

snowstorm · February 16, 2019, 04:52:11 PM

for the last couple weeks we are breaking plow trucks faster than i can repair them. the volvo has had far less problems. only a brake hose and abs valve along with the bearing on the spinner. ih several hoses. it wasnt that the hose broke the fitting rust to the point of leaking. broke a center bolt in the rear. thats mondays job. f550 broke a hose just as the county cop went by. sprayed his car with oil. he thought it was funny. today front axle u joint and it destroyed the short axle shaft. dealer didnt have the parts but they are in the warehouse in ct. be here Tuesday. i think i have had 4 days off since nov 1 either plow sand or repair. and i did see a mailbox get completely run down by.... the mail man.

mike_belben · February 16, 2019, 07:52:34 PM

Oof, thats a handful.

AZ_builder · February 16, 2019, 08:00:02 PM

Knock on wood, my carnage is minimal compared to what I've read here. I need to hang out with you crazy (ADMIN LANGUAGE EDIT)

Randy88 · February 17, 2019, 09:15:43 AM

Nice to read I'm not the only one who has stuff to fix all the time, you'd think after almost four decades of fixing, you'd eventually run out of things in need of repair or maintenance.

Mike a question about your torque flex axles on your trailer that broke, was it the axle itself that broke or the mounting plate that bolts the axle to the trailer? For what its worth, when you win the lottery, they make trailers now that are hot dipped galvanized and won't rust ever, best deal out there for the money, I had my service body on my service truck dipped when it was new, that was almost 15 years ago now and it looks like the day it was first done, no rust what so ever, the truck however might need to be replaced soon due its cab and frame rust, but the service body is still like new.

mike_belben · February 17, 2019, 10:44:00 AM

Well the trailer booboo (like the wrecked steer spindle) is entirely my fault. Id overloaded the trailer many times and rust had also taken its toll and started flexing the torflex mounting tab. I knew it needed fixed but couldnt get the trailer to my welder and vice versa down here in TN. Figured im going up empty, ill weld it at my dads. His yard was a disaster of disassembled vehicles, no chance. The load was pretty light and i lost the gamble that id make it down to TN and fix it at a friends shop. Now instead of $10 in consumables its $1000 in special order parts and not having my trailer or the load sitting on it for a year. My coates tire balancer may be junk now.

Live and learn i guess. Its not like im out taking vacations and buying golf clubs. I try to maintain things as best i can and lose that battle on occasion for having too much to maintain on zero dollars. All i ever do is work and just, just barely get by. Like all the belbens before me. we are well suited to it atleast.

Randy88 · February 17, 2019, 02:44:18 PM

Yea I know how you feel, your not the lone ranger on just getting by, I tend to view it as a good year if at the end, I had enough money to pay all my bills and buy all the parts I needed for the year, most years I'm usually short on paying for all the parts.

But look at the bright side, when we're old and mumbling to ourselves, just think off all the stories we have to tell kids, what do those that have never fixed anything have to say, gosh all I ever did was wash the windows and fuel it up??

snowstorm · February 18, 2019, 05:47:15 AM

i got the ih inside sunday. now that the ice and snow melted i can see what failed. the saddle that sets on the rear end with the spring stack on top of it broke. bolth sides. so the rear went back and sideways just enough for the slip joint on the drive shaft to come apart. to tow it home i toke the drive shaft out...well both pieces. a 25ft chain and we were off

Don P · February 18, 2019, 07:17:08 AM

That sounds like somebody backed up, gave her heck and rammed the pile.

snowstorm · February 21, 2019, 02:06:39 AM

call dealer give him the vin yes i have the parts. wrong part what he had was for a 23k rear mine is 30k. backtrack 50 miles then 35 more to the spring shop. they have everything. she is back out side in the cold. the volvo missed the warm garage

kiko · February 23, 2019, 03:30:59 PM

More gear carnage, both these showed up today. Swing final and pump drive box.

snowstorm · February 24, 2019, 07:22:17 AM

i put the outer axle shaft in the f550 yesterday. other than fighting rust. you have to heat everything or so it seems. the ujoint came from ford made by spicer. no grease fitting. i bet it outlasts 4 u joints from napa. the odd part was you have to pry the caps off to install the joint. they seal really well

snowstorm · February 24, 2019, 07:24:58 AM

Quote from: kiko on February 23, 2019, 03:30:59 PM
More gear carnage, both these showed up today. Swing final and pump drive box.

that would be one of those jobs... where do i start where dose it stop and how far away do i need to run

kiko · February 24, 2019, 10:34:42 AM

So the pump box stalled the engine down . It twisted the input shaft, but did not bust the flex plate, go figure. I plan on replacing the flywheel bolts, the customer will have to make the decision on the flex plate , It has low hours and no visual damage, cost 2200.00. Have yet to get pricing on the gear set or complete replacement box. I think it was run dry and the oil added back by operator after the failure to CHA.

62oliver · July 11, 2019, 09:06:23 AM

So I've had the Case 90xt skid steer out and have been getting lots of clean up done, and spread a bunch of loads of gravel at my daughters place, in the middle of moving a big pile of top soil, I thought to myself, wow, things have been going just great this week, the only money I've spent has been on fuel and grease......

5 minutes later the fan sucked in the end of the block heater cord and took out the rad, UGH.

Further proof that no good deed goes unpunished.

Oliver05262 · July 13, 2019, 10:07:31 PM

Sorry if this is a duplicate--my post disappeared!
I cleaned bilges today--kind of a reminder of when us non-rated snipes cleaned and polished the engine room spaces before a Captain's inspection. I pulled in a guy's hayfield Wednesday to fix his baler, and when I got out he asked me what was leaking at the back of my truck. DanG, it looks like oil---it looks like NEW oil!!!
Most of a 10 quart jug of Rotella had tipped over and the cap came off. I parked the truck pointed uphill that night and last night to help with dust control in the driveway.
This afternoon, I emptied out the back of the truck, except for the welder and the air compressor which are bolted down. I used rags to wipe up all the oil I could, then used a gas soaked rag and clean, dry rags to get it clean. I'll get some of those oil absorbent pads from my friend at the mill on Monday to catch what seeps out of the nooks and crannies. It was time to clean out the truck, b

ut this wasn't the way I wanted to do it. Heck of a way to rustproof the body.

mike_belben · July 13, 2019, 10:14:21 PM

Dawn ultra and a garden hose will knock that right out. Shame about the oil tho!

nativewolf · July 14, 2019, 07:49:23 AM

Loaned our Skidsteer and 4/1 bucket to farmer that manages fields on properties where we manage forest. Good guys...they did not zip tie the hydraulic lines properly and 1 dragged a bit, broke right by hydraulic fitting. Put an end to his efforts to install a massive culvert, he was just using the skid steer to move fill over the culvert, it is well enplaced, great rock bed and sides. Just needed 2 feet of fill. Of course no shop around open on a saturday afternoon that will do a skidsteer hose.

nativewolf · July 14, 2019, 01:50:42 PM

So looks like a bearing in front roller of tracked kubota skid steer is smoked at only 600 hours. What could cause that? Maybe tracks too tight? Or ?

nativewolf · July 14, 2019, 01:59:01 PM

Quote from: nativewolf on July 14, 2019, 01:50:42 PM
So looks like a bearing in front roller of tracked kubota skid steer is smoked at only 600 hours. What could cause that? Maybe tracks too tight? Or ?

mike_belben · July 14, 2019, 02:05:57 PM

The idler oil seal has clearly failed but is the bearing already shot too?

nativewolf · July 14, 2019, 02:48:32 PM

Quote from: mike_belben on July 14, 2019, 02:05:57 PM
The idler oil seal has clearly failed but is the bearing already shot too?

Not sure, going to let it cool way way down. It was so darn hot I am afraid it is. I'm rather a 50 something year old mechanical newbie. Under warranty and it's always been well greased so I don't see why it should have failed.